It was very painful to go through,” one previous participant said of the traditional ceremony that designates the transition ...

In Xhosa tradition, some rituals are performed on ordinary people while others are reserved for royals like Mandela, who was born into chieftaincy and was treated with royalty.

Xhosa tradition requires the slaughtering of an animal early on the day of the burial. After the ritual throat slitting, the animal will be eaten by the mourners, usually outside the family house.

Nelson Mandela will be laid to rest on Sunday in an elaborate ceremony combining a state funeral and all its military pomp with the traditional burial rituals of his Xhosa clan to ensure he has an ...

Nelson Mandela will be laid to rest on Sunday in an elaborate ceremony combining a state funeral and all its military pomp with the traditional burial rituals of his Xhosa clan to ensure he has an ...

4. The South African Xhosa Umngqungqo Among the Xhosa people of South Africa, the Umngqungqo (also known as the "first blood" ceremony) marks a girl's transition to womanhood.

"If we send them there and find that one boy is positive (for the virus), it means all 20 of them will be infected," said Afra Msutu, a Xhosa chief.